12 posts from November 2009

November 29, 2009

The Ball last night was incredible-I'm still in a daze, but all of the girls looked so beautiful and the ball itself was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I am so honored to have been there and so thankful to have met so many wonderful people.

But I must admit that I am very, very sad to say goodbye to my dress.

This week was non-stop-I am achey and exhausted. Wearing haute couture should be an Olympic sport. I feel like I've had more pictures of myself taken this week than I have in my entire life. Of course, part of the reason I'm so tired is because the experience was so exhilarating.

Before I sign off and get some much needed sleep I'd like to share a few iPhone snaps of the night..I'm afraid my camera card reader has stopped working and I don't have many of my own photos.

The debutantes waiting before the first waltz...

I snuck into my sister and my moms room before they got ready for the ball..

This is me being presented-escorted by my wonderful cavalier Octavian Donnelly. I was a little nervous because I was the first debutante to be presented..doesn't having a last name that begins with 'A' suck? But Octavian was so confident and my nerves immediately disappeared when we started making our way through the rooms.

Here is a picture snapped by Naomi from Elle Girl Japan during the final walk-though with all the girls last night. Naomi came with her daughter Maya and they both looked stunning! Here is a cute polaroid Naomi sent me of Maya and me..isn't she gorgeous?

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Here are some pictures I managed to save before my technical difficulties began...the view from the balcony of the Hotel de Crillon.

November 26, 2009

I'm currently taking it easy in my room in the Crillon Hotel after a crazy, crazy day. I've been in Paris for three days but I've just moved over to the Crillon this afternoon. Looks like this will be one of my only chances to relax before the ball on Saturday. Tomorrow I have to spend upwards of 10 hours in my gown, which weighs a ton. I would not be surprised if many of the debutantes collapsed half-way through the day.

I am one of the twenty five debutantes set to 'debut' on Saturday night...I never in my life thought I'd be here. Today I read online that I was going to be the Cinderella of the ball...right now I feel a bit like that. I'm a little starry eyed. When Vogue reffered me for the invitation I couldn't quite grasp the opulence and splendor of the event...now that I'm here, I realize that I'm about to enjoy the kind of experience that I thought had vanished from this world after the turn of the century.

I had my second fitting at Chanel yesterday. It was even more incredible the second time around. This time my whole family was with me, and I was so thankful to have them there. The best part of my appointment was the finale: a tour of Coco Chanel's apartment.

I am not allowed to show pictures until after the Ball, but here are some pictures I've taken throughout the rest of my stay.

My dad and my sister!

My mom and my sister...it rained like crazy yesterday afternoon!

After our appointment at Chanel, my sister wanted to do some pre-ball shopping...we went to Galleries Lafayette...it was so festive!

My Dolce and Gabanna face wedges finally got here. They are incredible and I feel so lucky to have them.

I may never wear them because if they were ever damaged I would be devastated...I'm getting to be like that a lot with my clothes...I never want to wear them because they feel too special. So I probably wear like 10% of my wardrobe now....But people who collect stamps don't mail letters with them...what's the difference? The important thing is loving what you collect. Anyone who collects something can understand that.

Did you know that scientists have identified the brain region that controls collecting behavior? Interesting..

I guess some people are just born with the compulsion to collect...

Well, on another note I'd like to share something I've been thinking for a while.

I'm turning my comment section off for now...as much I appreciate hearing thoughts from my readers, I have never seen the point of a feedback system on a personal style blog. Whether people are telling me that they love my shoes, or that they admire my photography, or that they think I'm too skinny, or that they want me to stop smoking, or that my blog is a reflection of the cupidity of our generation, or that my life is going to be a vacuum of tragedy ....none of those comments are ever going to affect the content I produce for Sea of Shoes. It's not that negative comments get under my skin..besides, the majority of my comments come from very nice readers, some of them other bloggers I admire. But it's creepy to think that a few real people pour so much energy into investigating my personal life and spinning it into something negative. I've always had a 'no delete' policy for my comments, so anyone could leave any untrue thing they want about me in my comments.

There have been a lot of really weird incidents over the past couple of months that have left me unnerved by the level of scrutiny I've come under since I started this blog. And it's not just me--my family and friends are affected by this too.

But there is no reason why it should be that way! Comments aren't necessary. The only reason I started this blog was to share my passion for clothing, and I'd like to keep doing that for a very long time..and I can do it just fine without any comments...maybe I'll turn them on later, maybe not. It makes no difference to me.

If you have something to share, you can always shoot me an email ( though I get lots, I can't promise I'll respond) or tweet at me.

November 16, 2009

The other day I wore my Miu Miu spectator pumps from fall 2007-they are some of my favorite shoes ever, I love the butterscotch & pink color scheme. I have to admit that they are pretty painful to walk in...they pinch your toes so bad! Totally worth the pain though. Its funny, usually my shoes are too extreme for my friends tastes but my girlfriends really like these..how could you not? They look like a pastry.

Worn with a Comme des Garcons chiffon skirt, a vintage satin blouse, and a very old Dolce and Gabanna belt of my mom's...I love this belt, I used to steal it all the time when I was 13-14...it's nice to get it out again!

I have another shoe score to share..

Check out my amazing Alaia wedges! Tina (of Bag Snob fame) tipped off my mom and I to a great sale at Neimans Last Call...75% off Alaia is not too shabby. These guys are really comfy too.

Worn with a vintage suede vest my mom got at Feathers in Austin. These shoes and this vest were kind of made for each other...

I went to Alzheimer's Association Dallas Rita Hayworth Galawith the Helloooooo.com crew on Saturday and it was so much fun. It was a great opportunity to dress up-I wore a vintage 50's dress from Sielan's Vintage in LA and my Chanel bow-tie booties. For now I only have iPhone pics but Jonathan took a ton of pictures during the night...I'll post them later this week!

November 11, 2009

I’ve been really excited to share this with you guys, but last time I was in New York,
I got a sneak peek at the redesigned StyleCaster. I've always thought StyleCaster was such an amazing concept and come December, it’s getting even better!

Watch the
video below to see what you can expect....and watch out for a very special cameo.

It was so fun to participate in the making of this video, and I was thrilled to get a preview of the redesign of one of my favorite
sites, StyleCaster. In December, they will be relaunching with an entirely new
site. It's going to be amazing, so if you haven't joined yet, do so now! Go to stylecaster.com to join...once you've registered, join my network and drop me a line :)

November 10, 2009

Two months ago I did a shoot in New York for Lucky Magazine to promote Dior Beauty-the shoot was a lot of fun and the December issue just hit the stands today. It's exciting to see the final product! Click below to see the promotion and my outtakes from the shoot.